$23,000 OPAT grant to assist young families

A $23,000 Oklahoma Parents as Teachers (OPAT) state program grant has been landed by Asst. Supt. Tyler Bridges for the Clinton Public Schools. While Clinton has had OPAT before, Bridges believes the program has been idle for at least the past five or six years here. It is coordinated through the Oklahoma Department of Education as a line item in the department’s budget.

The program, which is nationally but not federally based, serves families with children from birth to 3-years-old before they get into school.

OPAT recognizes parents as a child’s first teacher, and the program seeks to make sure parents have all the resources and skills they need to get their child ready for school and to give children the best possible start in life.